I was sitting in an Italian movie theater waiting for the show to start. The lights dimmed, parents shushed their kids, and teenagers giggled and played with the lighted screens of their cell phones. A community service announcement played before the main feature. Were they warning citizens against the dangers of drunk driving? Child abuse? Second hand smoke? Nope, it was a warning about the punishment that awaited criminals who downloaded free music from the internet. Larger than life black letters on red flashed across the screen, showing an astronomic fine and jail sentence for anyone who dared illegally download music.
My husband burst out laughing. It was more embarrassing than going to the movies with a kid who has to pee before the opening credits.
Why did he laugh? Because we'd never met anyone in the country who had legally purchased a song online. Everyone illegally downloaded ripped music. We asked an audiophile Italian friend how to repair one of our scratched CDs and he couldn't understand our problem- why not just download the songs from the damaged CD for free, then burn a new CD?
I don't mean to be rough on Italians- many other nationalities- including Americans- steal from artists, record companies, movie studios, and publishers by downloading illegally uploaded content. Honest folks like me pay for each and every one of their eBooks, digital audio and video files, and games. I don't mind paying for something I want to read or listen to- but I do mind DRM.
Digital Rights Management cripples digital content so that the publisher, movie studio, or record company dictate how I can use it. When I pay for my content, it comes shackled with a DRM- which means the eBook I can read on my Palm may not work on my husband's pocket PC. The song I bought from iTunes will work on my computer or on an iPod, but it will not play on an MP3 player not manufactured by Apple. I may burn the song onto a CD- but only for a limited number of times.
That's right- people who illegally pirate music can burn it to a CD, listen to it on their iPod, on their MP3 player, listen to it on their computer, and do whatever the heck they want with it. But since I paid for it fair and square, I have restricted use of my purchase. Does that sound fair to you?
Probably not- and the Free Software Foundation, consumer advocacy groups, and many artists don't think it's fair, either. Before we're too hard on the big bad entertainment industry, we should remember they're like overweight, out of shape old men who've gone red in the face trying to jog up the hill of technology. They know they need to keep up with the trends, but they're worried about losing money in the process. They are terrified someone to whom they sell a copy of a song, or a book, will put it up online and distribute it FOR FREE (shudder, possible heart failure).
Hmm. That seems to be happening anyway, doesn't it?
The reality is, that DRM makes the digital entertainment we buy harder and less fun to use. It restricts how we enjoy it. It punishes the people who are honest and does nothing to halt dishonesty.
If you think this is a small issue- think again. Norway, France, Germany, and Denmark are bucking against Apple's iTunes store. Their objection? The DRM. European consumer advocacy groups complain Apple's DRM is creating a monopoly for its iPod brand of music player. And, um, that's exactly what Apple's DRM is doing.
Science fiction writers like Cory Doctorow explore the role DRM may play in our future. For now, I'd just like to listen to my favorite Cibo Matto song when I'm out and about with my Palm.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Addio Kurt Vonnegut
NPR reports that Kurt Vonnegut (84) died last night. His Wikipedia entry has already been updated to reflect the date of his death. According to an NPR quote, for decades Vonnegut had been engaged in the "fairly sure, fairly honorable form of suicide" of smoking, but in the end was done in by complications from a fall- which just goes to show what must happen one day even to the mightiest.
I'll be talking more this week about Kurt Vonnegut. When one of my favorite authors dies, I usually enjoy some of their writing in their honor. For now I'll end with one thought:
Kurt Vonnegut was born in 1922. Let me repeat that. 1922. He grew up through the Great Depression and WW I. He was a private in WW II (and was captured as a prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany). The quote "So it goes" from his most famous novel, Slaughterhouse-Five became an anti-war slogan for protesting Vietnam, and he was an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq. My point here isn't simply about Vonnegut's politics- it's about the span of his life, the times he lived through, and his extraordinary personal engagement with the most important events of modern history. Here's a guy who had a story to tell, and boy did he ever.
I'll be talking more this week about Kurt Vonnegut. When one of my favorite authors dies, I usually enjoy some of their writing in their honor. For now I'll end with one thought:
Kurt Vonnegut was born in 1922. Let me repeat that. 1922. He grew up through the Great Depression and WW I. He was a private in WW II (and was captured as a prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany). The quote "So it goes" from his most famous novel, Slaughterhouse-Five became an anti-war slogan for protesting Vietnam, and he was an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq. My point here isn't simply about Vonnegut's politics- it's about the span of his life, the times he lived through, and his extraordinary personal engagement with the most important events of modern history. Here's a guy who had a story to tell, and boy did he ever.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
eBook Library
How would you feel about a library where you the book you wanted to read was never checked out, you could keep it as long as you liked, and never had to return it?
The University of Virginia has made this dream a reality with their Electronic Text Center. Anyone from anywhere in the world can access over 2,000 titles to read in HTML or eBook format (Palm Reader and Microsoft Reader). According to the site, millions of copies have been downloaded by people in over 100 different countries.
The eBook library contains titles in the public domain- in other words, old stuff. Are you too hip for old stuff? What if you get the urge to read (or re-read) Alice in Wonderland, Around the World in Eighty Days, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz? You could rediscover the fun of a Sherlock Holmes mystery, or read that Shakespearian play that always embarrasses you when friends assume you know it. Books I've mentioned recently available at the eBook library include Frankenstein and Dracula. There are some gems in these 2000+ titles just waiting to be downloaded or read online.
But what if you want to read something written since the advent of TV dinners? Electronic library models, such as that used by Fictionwise solve this problem by allowing donors to purchase eBook copies that membered patrons may borrow for a short period of time. You don't have to return your copy or worry about fines- but the book will no longer be legible after the due date.
The University of Virginia has made this dream a reality with their Electronic Text Center. Anyone from anywhere in the world can access over 2,000 titles to read in HTML or eBook format (Palm Reader and Microsoft Reader). According to the site, millions of copies have been downloaded by people in over 100 different countries.
The eBook library contains titles in the public domain- in other words, old stuff. Are you too hip for old stuff? What if you get the urge to read (or re-read) Alice in Wonderland, Around the World in Eighty Days, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz? You could rediscover the fun of a Sherlock Holmes mystery, or read that Shakespearian play that always embarrasses you when friends assume you know it. Books I've mentioned recently available at the eBook library include Frankenstein and Dracula. There are some gems in these 2000+ titles just waiting to be downloaded or read online.
But what if you want to read something written since the advent of TV dinners? Electronic library models, such as that used by Fictionwise solve this problem by allowing donors to purchase eBook copies that membered patrons may borrow for a short period of time. You don't have to return your copy or worry about fines- but the book will no longer be legible after the due date.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
The Digital Content Revolution
If you had ever moved 3,000 books, a huge CD collection, and all your favorite DVDs and video games to a dozen different apartments (and moved all those books and CDs overseas) you'd still not be half as excited as I am about digital content. Now instead of paperbacks, I buy eBooks (and eBook magazines) from fictionwise.com. I buy my music from iTunes or eMusic. I download movies, TV, and other video content from iTunes and XBox Live (I can download demos and playable video games from XBox Live, too). I can even get digital audio books in English (audible.com) or French (audible.fr). I'd say I've fully embraced the digital lifestyle- and I'm loving it.
The first, most obvious advantage to digital media is that piles of books no longer threaten to topple as I walk through our house, and I don't have to spend needless hours of my life dusting jewel cases. The idea that I can "pack" the majority of our book and music collection on a pair of USB drives the next time we move, lets me smile when my husband buys another album instead of nervously wringing my hands.
But what if you only own a moderate amount of media, and have the good sense to stay put in one place? What can the digital content revolution do for you?
Advantage number one: it can get your stuff to you instantly. Forget waiting for a package to arrive in the mail, forget hopping in the car and driving to the bookstore or music store (are there still brick and mortar CD shops?), forget walking a couple blocks to the video store. Digital content, whether purchased or rented, is available instantly. The only possible delay is waiting for a long movie to download, but someday even that will be accomplished in the blink of an eye.
Advantage number two: you can watch TV programs and movies when it fits into your schedule. You no longer have to rearrange your life to catch Battlestar Galactica. Just subscribe to the series on iTunes.
Advantage number three: digital media is often less expensive than than physical media. I've saved money by going digital.
Advantage number four: you'll have embraced the digital content revolution, and the content you buy today will be compatible with the devices of the future.
Advantage number five: in March I talked about what creative solutions can be found to take it easy on the environment. The digital content revolution is an overlooked green shopping choice. If you order a DVD from an online retailer, the DVD has to arrive at the seller's warehouse. It's shrink wrapped, invoiced, boxed, shipped. A DVD purchased at the store has to be transported to a warehouse, then distributed to local merchants. You have to get in the car and go get it, then bring it home. Let's face it, you'll probably take it home in a plastic shopping bag. Oh- and don't forget that a factory had to stamp out the DVD, the accompanying full color booklet, the coupons and special offers you don't want stuck inside the case, the shrink wrap over the case, and the case, itself.
Environmental impact of the digital download: electricity needed to run the server where the content is stored, and the computer in your house.
It's a lot of fun being part of the digital content revolution. So far I've managed to participate without rioting in the streets- not that battles over digital rights haven't taken place in court rooms, caused international conflicts, or spawned grassroots protests. In fact, understanding DRM (digital rights management) is crucial to understanding the revolutionary new way we read books, listen to music, and watch TV. I'll discuss DRM and other aspects of the digital lifestyle in upcoming posts.
The first, most obvious advantage to digital media is that piles of books no longer threaten to topple as I walk through our house, and I don't have to spend needless hours of my life dusting jewel cases. The idea that I can "pack" the majority of our book and music collection on a pair of USB drives the next time we move, lets me smile when my husband buys another album instead of nervously wringing my hands.
But what if you only own a moderate amount of media, and have the good sense to stay put in one place? What can the digital content revolution do for you?
Advantage number one: it can get your stuff to you instantly. Forget waiting for a package to arrive in the mail, forget hopping in the car and driving to the bookstore or music store (are there still brick and mortar CD shops?), forget walking a couple blocks to the video store. Digital content, whether purchased or rented, is available instantly. The only possible delay is waiting for a long movie to download, but someday even that will be accomplished in the blink of an eye.
Advantage number two: you can watch TV programs and movies when it fits into your schedule. You no longer have to rearrange your life to catch Battlestar Galactica. Just subscribe to the series on iTunes.
Advantage number three: digital media is often less expensive than than physical media. I've saved money by going digital.
Advantage number four: you'll have embraced the digital content revolution, and the content you buy today will be compatible with the devices of the future.
Advantage number five: in March I talked about what creative solutions can be found to take it easy on the environment. The digital content revolution is an overlooked green shopping choice. If you order a DVD from an online retailer, the DVD has to arrive at the seller's warehouse. It's shrink wrapped, invoiced, boxed, shipped. A DVD purchased at the store has to be transported to a warehouse, then distributed to local merchants. You have to get in the car and go get it, then bring it home. Let's face it, you'll probably take it home in a plastic shopping bag. Oh- and don't forget that a factory had to stamp out the DVD, the accompanying full color booklet, the coupons and special offers you don't want stuck inside the case, the shrink wrap over the case, and the case, itself.
Environmental impact of the digital download: electricity needed to run the server where the content is stored, and the computer in your house.
It's a lot of fun being part of the digital content revolution. So far I've managed to participate without rioting in the streets- not that battles over digital rights haven't taken place in court rooms, caused international conflicts, or spawned grassroots protests. In fact, understanding DRM (digital rights management) is crucial to understanding the revolutionary new way we read books, listen to music, and watch TV. I'll discuss DRM and other aspects of the digital lifestyle in upcoming posts.
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